Joel Bolomboy, Ron Baker lead way for West All-Stars

HOUSTON -- Weber State's Joel Bolomboy had 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the West to an 89-85 win over the East in the NCAA All-Star game Friday.

Wichita State's Ron Baker added 14 points, and West Virginia's Jaysean Paige had 15 points for the West, which shot 43 percent, including hitting nine of 24 from behind the arc.

"I really enjoyed coaching this team," West coach John Lucas said. "They really worked hard for two days. We did a lot of NBA stuff rather than college. Their response at halftime was really good to the flow of the game, especially Paige, Baker and Joel, who had the double-double. They took advantage of their strengths."

"Anytime you can build relationships with seniors across the country definitely sticks with you," Baker said.

Northeastern's David Walker led the East with 17 points; Virginia's Anthony Gill added 15 points and seven rebounds; and Louisville's Trey Lewis had 17 points for the East, which shot 44 percent but was 10 of 34 on 3-pointers.

"It's really a privilege that I am grateful for," Lewis said of playing in the game. "I was a little iffy coming down here at first because I felt like we should have been down here under different circumstances.

"Through it all, after coming down here, it's been a great experience. Playing on this floor with some of the best seniors in the country, has been a great experience."

After the East had used a 21-8 run to tie the game with 3 1/2 minutes left, the West scored eight of the next 10 points to open up an 86-80 lead on Paige's free throw.

"We kind of relaxed with eight minutes to go," Baker said. "They hit some shots. We grinded it out, got some stops at the end and made some shots that were key to keeping the lead."

The East cut the lead to 87-85 on Paige's 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, but Trey Freeman hit two free throws to seal the win.

East coach Doug Collins, who played in the 1973 college All-Star game under Adolph Rupp, said it was an honor for him to coach the team.

"We had a chance to win there at the end," Collins said. "We tried to get everyone in there and give everyone a chance to play. The big thing for me is that I have been in basketball now for 40-plus years in the NBA, and to be a part of something like this is special to me."